Asheville Downtown Association board approves statement on HB 2, condemning “discrimination of any kind”

Today, the Asheville Downtown Association met for the first time since the passage of HB 2 and they prepared a statement on the new law.

The law requires that people use bathrooms and changing-room facilities that are assigned to the genders on their birth certificates, creating problems for transgender individuals who would rather use the facilities for their identified gender and for those who do not claim a gender. The law goes even further: It forbids other local governments from passing nondiscrimination ordinances. And it has also been criticized for leaving nongovernmental employees without protection in cases of discrimination based on their race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex or disability.

According to an email to members from Executive Director Meghan Rogers, the Downtown Association board decided on the following statement to be released publicly: “We are proud to represent a diverse and inclusive community and believe that all citizens of our state must be treated equally. In 2015, we updated our mission, vision and guiding principles. One guiding principle is ‘We value integrity and inclusivity; they are at the core of what we do.’ Discrimination of any kind not only goes against this principle and our core values, but it is bad for business, bad for Asheville’s economy and bad for our state’s economy.”

Because the HB 2 overturned an anti discrimination ordinance and the association broadly paints discrimination as “bad for business,” the statement seems to be a disavowal of the state law in its current form.

 

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About Able Allen
Able studied political science and history at Warren Wilson College. He enjoys travel, dance, games, theater, blacksmithing and the great outdoors. Follow me @AbleLAllen

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13 thoughts on “Asheville Downtown Association board approves statement on HB 2, condemning “discrimination of any kind”

  1. boatrocker

    Cue the lols/lulz and POSTING IN CAPS FOR NO REASON in 3…2…1… for pro discrimination by any other name except for what it is.

    I JUST TIRE OF TIRADES, get it, lol lulz?

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